5th July 2015 - Daily GK Update

5th July 2015 - Daily GK Update

1. C D Balaji took charge as Director of the Aeronautical Development Agency

• i. Commodore C D Balaji (Retd) on 3 July 2015 took charge as the Director of the Aeronautical Development Agency (ADA) and Programme Director of the Light Combat Aircraft (LCA).
• ii. He succeeded P S Subramanyam, Distinguished Scientist, who superannuated on 30 June 2015.
• iii. Prior to this appointment, Balaji, an outsatnding scientists, was Project Director of the LCA’s naval version. He was commissioned into the Indian Navy's engineering branch in September 1978 and since then, he has specialised in the Naval Aviation Arm.
• iv. He served as an Air Engineer Officer of INAS 310 (Alize aircraft) for about 3 years embarking the Aircraft Carrier Vikrant. He joined ADA on deputation in 2002 to work on the development of a naval version of the light fighter. In December 2006, he left the Navy and fully moved to ADA.
• v. Based in Bengaluru, ADA is the premier multi-agency body spearheading the development of combat aircraft for the Air Force and the Navy- among them is the LCA and the proposed Advanced Medium Combat Aircraft AMCA.

2. President of India receives first copy of book 'Uniki'

• i. The President of India, Shri Pranab Mukherjee received the first copy of the book 'Uniki' in Hyderabad today (July 3, 2015). The book has been written by Shri Ch Vidyasagar Rao, Governor of Maharashtra. The President received the book from Shri K Chandrashekar Rao, Chief Minister of Telangana who formally released it.
• ii. Speaking on the occasion, the President appealed to the people of both the states of Andhra Pradesh and Telangana to work in close harmony, so as to ensure sustainable development and betterment of the people of the country and help it earn its rightful place in the comity of nations. He said that we all belong to India.
• iii. He stated that we need to remember that we can choose our friends but cannot choose our neighbours. Therefore, it is us for decide whether we should live in harmony and peace with our neighbours. 
• iv. He stated that the title, 'Uniki', which means Existence, evokes a philosophical view of the issues and events that have been written about in this book.

3. Guinness Book Recognises Madhya Pradesh’s World Record in Washing Hands

• i. The Guinness Book of World Records has recognised a record created in Madhya Pradesh on ‘World Hand washing Day’ in 2014.
• ii. The mega hand washing event was held on 15 October 2014 to create awareness about hygiene by washing hands with soap.
• iii. It was organised in all the 51 districts of Madhya Pradesh in over 13 thousand places. In it more than 12 lakh 78 thousand students had washed their hand simultaneously.
• iv. This record broke the earlier the world record which was jointly held by Argentina, Peru and Mexico. The joint record in three countries was created on October 14, 2011 in which 7,40,870 people had washed their hands simultaneously at different locations.

4. BSNL rolls out pre-paid card linked mobile wallet

• i. BSNL launched a pre-paid card linked mobile wallet service on Friday which allows customers to transfer cash, pay for services as well as withdraw cash of up to Rs 1 lakh.
• ii. The wallet service, Speed Pay, allows a customer to load money even if he does not have a bank account. The money loaded in the wallet can be transferred to an account and even withdrawn at branches or at BSNL outlets.
• iii. Loading money into a mobile wallet from a bank account is an option. BSNL customers who don't have bank accounts can also load money at any BSNL retail outlet and ask the retailer to recharge their mobile wallet account and pay for various services.
• iv. There will be one-per cent transaction charge if money from the wallet is transferred to other bank accounts or a there is cash withdrawal.

5. 4 Indian-Americans honoured with Great Immigrants award 2015 in United States

• i. Four Indian-Americans have been honoured with prestigious Great Immigrants, The Pride of America award 2015. They are among 38 distinguished personalities from more than 30 countries around the world who have been honoured with this year’s award.
• ii. The award is given by New York-based Carnegie Corporation on the occasion of Independence Day of United States i.e. 4th July.

Preet Bharara: US Attorney, Southern District of New York.

Rakesh Khurana: Dean of Harvard College and Marvin Bower Professor of Leadership and Development.

Madhulika Sikka: Vice President and Executive Editor of .Mic.

Abraham Verghese: Physician, Professor and Author.

6. Solar Impulse completes epic flight to Hawaii

• i. Solar Impulse, the aeroplane that is powered only by the sun, has landed in Hawaii after making a historic 7,200km flight across the Pacific from Japan.
• ii. The distance covered and the time spent in the air - 118 hours - are records for manned, solar-powered flight. The duration is also an absolute record for a solo, un-refuelled journey.
• iii. Mr Borschberg's time betters that of the American adventurer Steve Fossett who spent 76 hours aloft in a single-seater jet in 2006.
• iv. Solar Impulse's slow speed, light weight and 72m wingspan put significant constraints on the type of weather the vehicle can handle, and that first sortie was aborted after just one day in the air because of a fast developing cold front ahead of it.

7. Former CJI Y K Sabharwal passes away

• i. Former Chief Justice of India Y K Sabharwal passed away here last evening. 73-year-old Justice Sabharwal is survived by two sons Chetan and Nitin. The cremation will take place today.
• ii. Justice Sabharwal was CJI from November 1, 2005 to January 13, 2007.
• iii. He was elevated as an additional judge of the Delhi High Court in 1986 and became its permanent judge in April 1987.
• iv. From Delhi High Court, he went to Bombay High Court as chief justice before being appointed as a judge of the SC on January 28, 2001.
• v. Justice Sabharwal delivered several important judgements including the verdict in January 2006, that held the dissolution of Bihar Assembly as illegal and unconstitutional.

4th July 2015 - Daily GK Update

4th July 2015 - Daily GK Update

1. Indian-American professor R Paul Singh named for 2015 World Agriculture Prize laureate

• i. R Paul Singh, Indian-American professor has been selected for 2015 World Agriculture Prize laureate.
• ii. The award was announced at the annual Global Confederation for Higher Education Associations for Agriculture and Life Sciences (GCHERA) conference held at the Holy Spirit University of Kaslik, Lebanon.
• iii. Singh is known for niche research areas of agricultural sector such as freezing preservation, energy conservation, post-harvest technology and mass transfer in food processing.
• iv. He had earned a bachelor’s degree in agricultural engineering form Punjab Agricultural University. He had completed his doctorate from Michigan State University, US.

2. Nationwide Mobile Number Portability goes live

• i. The countrywide Mobile Number Portability (MNP) has become a reality today. This means mobile subscribers can now keep their existing mobile phone numbers even while shifting between states and circles.
• ii. The move lays the first stone for the government's 'One nation, One number' plan and is sure to benefit millions of people across the country.
• iii. Earlier, the deadline to rollout full MNP was May 2, 2015. This was, however, extended by two months after the Cellular Operators Association of India asked for an extension from the telecom department.
• iv. With about 3 million intra-circle MNP requests every month, more than 157 million subscribers have ported to other operators as of April, according to Trai data.

3. Airbus to build military choppers in India with Mahindra

• i. Europe's Airbus Group and India's Mahindra Group have struck a deal to build helicopters jointly as they bid to win an expected wave of orders from the country's armed forces, the companies said in a statement on Friday.
• ii. The two groups will form a joint venture in the coming months, aiming to become the first private manufacturer of helicopters in India, the statement said. It did not say how much the two will invest. 
• iii. India is in the midst of a huge upgrade of its armed forces — analysts forecast it will spend $250 billion over the next decade — and Prime Minister Narendra Modi wants to encourage more indigenous manufacturing to end India's position as the world's largest arms importer.
• iv. Airbus Helicopters, part of Airbus Group, is joining forces with Mahindra after talking to several Indian companies that are investing hundreds of millions of dollars to capitalise on the government's push to build arms at home.

4. SBI launches initiative to speed up home loan applications 

• i. Country's largest lender State Bank of India today launched an initiative to provide doorstep services and expedite home loans application process. 
• ii. The initiative known as 'Project Tatkal' will help get the loan within 10 days after receipt of application form and relevant supporting documents, the bank said in a release.
• iii. The implementation will be done at large centres with sizable home loan business.
• iv. The bank has also recently introduced an online customer acquisition solution (OCAS) for instant e-approval of home loan applications.

5. Govt releases socio-economic and caste census for better policy-making

• i. The socio-economic and caste census (SECC) 2011 on Friday painted a grim picture of rural India, indicating that one out of three families living in villages is landless and depends on manual labour for livelihood.
• ii. The SECC 2011, also the first paperless census conducted on hand-held electronic devices by the government, said 23.52% rural families have no literate adult above 25 years, suggesting a poor state of education among rural masses.
• iii. The census, carried out in 640 districts under the aegis of the rural development ministry, was released jointly by finance minister Arun Jaitley and rural development minister Chaudhary Birendra Singh.
• iv. According to the census, there are a total number of 24.39 crore households in the country, of which 17.91 crore live in villages. Of these, 10.69 crore households are considered as deprived.

6. Indian-American teacher Darshan Jain receives US Presidential Award

• i. Darshan Jain, an Indian-American teacher has been selected for prestigious Presidential Award for Excellence in Mathematics and Science Teaching.
• ii. He was named for the award by President Barack Obama along with 107 Mathematics and Science teachers across US. All of them were chosen for shaping America’s success through their passion for Math and Science.
• iii. Presently Darshan Jain is director of mathematics at Adlai E. Stevenson High School in Lincolnshire, Illinois. Previously, he had taught mathematics at this institute for eight years.
• iv. US Presidential Award is awarded annually to outstanding science and mathematics teachers from across US from K-12 (kindergarten through 12th grades). The award carries monetary prize of US 10000 dollars.

7. Union Government launches web portal for issuing green clearance Category B projects

• i. Union Government has launched a web portal for online submission of applications for environment clearance by State Environment Impact Assessment Authorities (SEIAA) for Category B projects.
• ii. It was launched by Union Minister of State for Environment, Forest and Climate Change Prakash Javadekar in New Delhi on the occasion of Digital India Week. Soon after the launch of the web portal, nineteen states instantly have joined it.
• iii. The environment clearance web portal raises the levels of transparency and accountability as the clearances will be monitored and carried out effectively on a real time basis. It will also help to reduce pendency for maintaining the rigours of Environment Clearance process.
• iv. It should be noted that applications for Environment Clearances under Category ‘B’ projects under EIA notification, 2006 comes under State government for approval purpose.

20 June 2015 - Daily GK Update

20 June 2015 - Daily GK Update 

China launched world’s first electric passenger aircraft BX1E.

• i)China launched the world’s first electric passenger aircraft named BX1E that could be used in pilot training, tourism, meteorology and rescue operations.
• ii)The aircraft was designed together by Shenyang Aerospace University and Liaoning General Aviation Academy located in the northeastern Liaoning Province of China.

Sushma Swaraj leaves for New York for International Yoga Day event

• i)External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj today left for New York where she is going to participate in the International Yoga Day event being organised by the Indian Mission at the United Nations.
• ii)She will represent India next week in Nepal at a global donors' conference aimed at raising funds for the earthquake-hit country(Nominated by PM Shri Narendra Modi).

Serbia edge Brazil in final to clinch Fifa U-20 World Cup title.

• i) Serbia pulled off a historic 2-1 win in extra time to beat heavily favoured Brazil in the final of the Fifa Under-20 World Cup in Auckland on Saturday.
• ii) Serbia, playing in the FIFA U-20 World Cup for the first time as an independent nation, will leave as its champions.Auckland's North Harbour Stadium. Nemanja Maksimovic's decisive, 118th-minute goal settled the final 2-1 in favour of the delirious Serbians, and left five-time champions Brazil to settle for silver.

Haryana launches Village Mentoring Project(VMP) to uplift villagers.

• i)The Haryana Government today launched a Village Mentoring Project (VMP) to improve healthcare and education of the villagers with a special emphasis on girl child. 
• ii) The project would create awareness among the villagers about various issues including educating girl child, health, financial matters etc 

Brightest Galaxy in Early Universe named after Cristiano Ronaldo as CR7

• i)Scientists in third week of June 2015 named a newly discovered galaxy after Portuguese football player Cristiano Ronaldo. The galaxy was labeled as CR7 (COSMOS Redshift 7).
• ii)CR7 is three times brighter than the brightest distant galaxy known till now, called Himiko. This brightest galaxy was discovered in the early universe that contains the first generation of stars. For this discovery, they used ESO’s Very Large Telescope (VLT).

PM to launch 3 flagship schemes for urban revamp on June 25.

• i) The three big ticket projects — Smart Cities Mission, Atal Mission for Rejuvenation and Urban Transformation (AMRUT) and the Housing for All, now named as Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana (PMAY), are worth Rs. four lakh crore.
• ii)It marks a red-letter day in the history of urban development in the country with the simultaneous launch of AMRUT, PMAY and Smart Cities Mission.
• iii) The Prime Minister will also release operational guidelines for the three urban missions besides unveiling logos and tag lines, according to a senior Urban Development Ministry official.

Nikesh Arora appointed SoftBank President

• i)India-born former Google executive Nikesh Arora has been appointed the President of Japan’s telecommunications giant SoftBank Corp that paid the “rising star” a whopping US$135 million for the financial year 2014.
• ii)Arora, 47, who earlier held the vice president’s post, was appointed company president and chief operating officer at a general meeting of shareholders here yesterday.

India Unlimited’ to boost synergies between Indian and Swedish entrepreneurs.

• i)India Unlimited ∞ - a platform for connecting India and Sweden in every field where both stand to gain.
• ii)Seeking synergies between Swedish and Indian entrepreneurship, Indian mission in Sweden has launched ‘India Unlimited’ platform.
• iii)The aim of the platform ‘India Unlimited’ is promoting Brand India in Sweden and Brand Sweden in India. 

State Government initiative to make Arunachal an organic state.

• i) In a bid to make Arunachal Pradesh a hundred per cent organic state, the State government decided to launch “State Soil Health Mission”.The programme aims at proper documentation of soil health and preparation of soil map.
• ii)Arunachal Pradesh government which is among the top five states for devolution of powers to Panchayati Raj, has initiated steps to strengthen the urban local self-governance to enhance revenue base of urban local bodies.

19 June 2015 - Daily GK Update

19 June 2015 - Daily GK update: 

India set for World Yoga Day on 21 June 2015.

• i) International day of yoga is also called as the world yoga day. United Nations General Assembly has declared 21st of June as an International Yoga Day on 11th of December in 2014.Launching a particular date of practicing yoga all across the world and celebrating as yoga day was initiated by the Indian Prime Minister to the United Nations General Assembly.
• ii) Official name of this day is UN International Yoga Day and also called as Yoga Day. It is a worldwide event celebrated by the people of all countries through practicing yoga, meditation, debates, meetings, discussions, variety of cultural performances, etc.World Yoga Day or International Day of Yoga would be celebrated by the people throughout the world first time on 21st of June in 2015, at Sunday.

SBI launches online forex platform

• i)State Bank of India (SBI), the country’s largest bank, has launched SBI eforex, an Internet-based platform that enables customers to book their foreign exchange transactions online.
• ii) This smart platform facilitates the customers of the bank to obtain forex rates without having to physically visit the branch.
• iii) SBI eforex is an innovative platform incorporating robust security features and is designed to be user-friendly, fast and convenient. It is a highly flexible product offering the facility to the customers to customise and set their own limits for deal size, daily transaction limits etc. Details of all deals done are made available to the users on a real-time basis.
• iv) Under the forex segment, SBI had recently launched 'Fx Out' which enables sending of foreign currency remittances from any its branches in India.

Gandhi medals to mark his 33 years of freedom struggle

• i) Now among the various Gandhi souvenirs and memorabilia that has been sold and collected for over the past half a century, will be added a set of limited-edition medallions highlighting milestones in his 33 years (1914-1947) of freedom struggle.
• ii) Alok Goyal, a Kolkata-based numismatic dealer, has created a series of medals on Father of the Nation. So far, he has marketed five such medals beginning with Gandhi’s return to India from South Africa in 1914.
• iii) The sixth in the series to will hit the market on June 20 to commemorate 75 years of Netaji's last meeting with Gandhiji before leaving India in early 1941. Each of the series will have just 500 medals and are being sold at Rs. 1,000 a piece.The next two in the series would be on Gandhi-led civil disobedience movement and the movement against untouchablility.
• iv)Goyal-designed Gandhi medals were being manufactured a private German mint. He earlier had marketed commemorative coins with divine icon of Lord Venkateswara, in association with a Lichenstein company Coin Invest Trust and under a license from the Republic of Palau.

China and Australia formally sign free trade agreement

• i)China and Australia have signed a trade agreement that is set to increase market access for Australian beef and wine exporters while boosting Chinese carmakers and electronics producers who wish to sell their goods to Australians.
• ii) One flashpoint is the inclusion of an investor-state dispute settlement (ISDS) clause, which grants foreign companies the right to sue governments for breaching commitments in such agreements.The Australian union movement has also raised concerns about the access to be granted to Chinese citizens under labour market provisions.
• iii) The Australian prime minister, Tony Abbott, said the agreement would give each nation “unprecedented access to each other’s markets” and pointed to the reduction in tariffs imposed on trade.
• “It removes barriers to Australian agricultural exports across a range of products, including beef, dairy, lamb, wine, horticulture and seafood,”

India offers Tanzania expertise in natural gas sector

• i) India on Friday offered its expertise to Tanzania in development of its potentially rich natural gas sector and decided to extend e-tourist visa to people of the African nation even as the two countries signed eight MoUs to expand engagements in diverse areas.During extensive talks Prime Minister Narendra Modi had with Tanzanian President Jakaya Mrisho Kikwete, both the countries also decided to establish a Joint Working Group to strengthen cooperation in counter terrorism.
• ii)The MoUs signed included a loan agreement between Exim Bank and Tanzanian government on a line of credit for $ 268.35 million for extension of a pipeline project and cooperation in the field of hydrology, tourism and agriculture.India is the largest trading partner of Tanzania in Africa with bilateral trade in 2013-14 being more than $4 billion.

Union Government launched weather alert service NOWCAST

• i) Union Agriculture Minister Radha Mohan Singh launched a weather alert service named NOWCAST.NOWCAST will be used to send SMS alerts on extreme weather data like hailstorm, thunderstorm and squall originated by India Meteorological Department (IMD) to over one crore farmers whose mobile numbers are registered on government’s mKisan portal.Further, the mKisan portal will send warning SMSs to farmers located in affected district/blocks. These warnings will help the farmers to take precautionary measures as needed and feasible.
• ii)The SMS will be sent in English, Hindi and regional languages as per farmers’ request.This technological break-through is a collaborative effort between mKisan Portal developed by DAC, weather technologies adopted by IMD and GIS Portal of NIC.
• iii)Radha Mohan Singh also launched Insurance Web-Portals for Farmers (www.farmer.gov.in/insurance) that will enable farmers to insure their crops under three schemes.
• iv)Prevailing provisions under which farmers can insure their crops are

• National Agriculture Insurance Scheme (NAIS)
• Modified National Insurance Scheme (MNAIS)
• Weather based Crop Insurance Scheme (WBCIS)
• Besides, Coconut Palm Insurance Scheme (CPIS) also is applicable in some parts of the country.

Aakar Patel appointed as Executive Director of Amnesty International India

• i) Journalist and writer Aakar Patel appointed as Executive Director of Amnesty International (AI) India. He will head AI India’s operations and its efforts to end human rights abuses in India and worldwide.Patel as the organization’s chief political advisor, strategist and spokesperson will give direction to its goal of being an independent, effective, and deep-rooted organization in India.
• ii) Patel’s previous work include
• India: Low Trust Society (2015)
• Rights and Wrongs, a report on the 2002 Gujarat riots which he co-authored
• Worked as a columnist with publications in India and Pakistan
• Television and radio work as an independent expertiii) In a country-wide campaign, the Confederation of Indian Industry (CII) is organising yoga sessions for India Inc on Sunday (June 21), the International Day of Yoga. Thousands of representatives of industry, including CEOs, employees and family members, are rolling out their yoga mats to participate in the event.

18th June 2015 - Daily GK Update

1. Charles Correa, face of contemporary architecture in India passes away

• i. India’s greatest contemporary architect Charles Correa passed away in Mumbai following a brief illness. He was 84.
• ii. He was Chief Architect for Navi Mumbai along with Shirish Patel and Pravina Mehta from 1970–75.
• iii. He also had served as first Chairman of the National Commission on Urbanization and was appointed by then Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi in 1985.He is founder of Mumbai’s Urban Design Research Institute (established in 1984) dedicated to protect the environment and improve lives of urban communities.
• iv. He had been awarded the Padma Shri (1972), Padma Vibhushan (2006) by Government of India. He was also awarded Royal Gold Medal for Architecture (1984) by the Royal Institute of British Architects, 7th Aga Khan Award for Architecture (1998), Praemium Imperiale of Japan.

2. BSNL to set up 40,000 wi-fi hot spots India

• i. State owned telecommunications giant Bharat Sanchar Nigam Limited (BSNL) has announced to set up 40,000 Wireless Fidelity (Wi-Fi) hot spots across the country.
• ii. This project will come in lines with new digital architecture which is part of Union Government’s flagship Digital India Programme. The 40,000 wi-fi hot spots project will be entailed with an investment of about 6,000 crore rupees. The project is likely to be completed by 2018.
• iii. It was announced by Union Minister of Communications & IT Ravi Shankar Prasad after launching the Wi-Fi facility at Taj Mahal in Agra, Uttar Pradesh.
• iv. BSNL has installed the Wi-Fi facility at the premises of Taj Mahal as part of the Union Government’s plan to provide free internet services at major tourist places across country.

3. ASCI launches mobile app to curb misleading advertisements

• i. In a bid to address misleading advertisements, the Advertising Standard Council of India (ASCI) launched its consumer complaint mobile application – ASCIonline, to provide consumer complaint services on a mobile app besides providing the facility online.
• ii. Talking about the initiative, Narendra Ambwani, ASCI chairman said, “One of the goals of ASCI is to provide convenient access for lodging complaint and hence this launch of mobile app."
• iii. Lodge complaints by simply providing advertisement details and objection. Users can also attach the files like image or video or YouTube link of that advertisement.
• iv. Status of complaints and complaint tracking also made simple and user-friendly.

4. Archana Ramasundaram out of CBI, appointed Director of NCRB

• i. Senior IPS officer Archana Ramasundaram has been moved out of the CBI and appointed as Director, National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB).
• ii. Ramasundaram, a 1980 batch Indian Police Service (IPS) officer of Tamil Nadu cadre, was appointed as Additional Director in CBI in February last year amid controversy.She was not assigned any work on the direction of the Supreme Court, which is hearing a writ petition against her appointment.
• iii. The Appointments Committee of Cabinet (ACC) has approved lateral shift of Ramasundaram from the post of Additional Director, CBI to hold Director General or equivalent level post at the Centre.
• iv. Ramasundaram's appointment last year had generated quite a controversy as the CBI locked horns with Central Vigilance Commission (CVC) and Home Ministry over the choice.

5. Govt okays 16 FDI proposals worth Rs. 6,751 cr.

• i. The government on Wednesday approved 16 foreign investment proposals, including those of Torrent Pharmaceuticals and Star India Private Limited, amounting to Rs. 6,750.86 crore.
• ii. The proposals were cleared during the FIPB meeting held on May 28
• iii. Broadcaster Star India Private Limited has been given approval for further issuance and transfer of shares to its foreign collaborator and acquisition of another Indian company engaged in broadcasting sector on a slump sale basis.
• iv. Syngene International has been allowed to raise foreign investment to 44 per cent from 10 per cent by initial public offering of equity shares to FIIs, FPIs and NRIs.

6. Election Commission suspends recognition of PA Sangma-led National People’s Party

• i. Election Commission of India (ECI) has suspended recognition of the PA Sangma-led National People’s Party (NPP) which was a recognized state party in Meghalaya.
• ii. The recognition of NPP was suspended under para 16A of the Election Symbols (Reservation and Allotment) Order, 1968 after the party failed to file the election expenditure statement incurred in 2014 Lok Sabha elections.
• iii. At present NPP has one Lok Sabha member- PA Sangma from Tura constituency from Meghalaya. It also has 4 members in Rajasthan Legislative assembly and 2 in Meghalaya Legislative assembly.

7. Book titled Modi - Incredible emergence of a star in Chinese language written by Tarun Vijay

• i. A book on Prime Minister Narendra Modi titled Modi –Incredible emergence of a star written in Chinese language by Tarun Vijay
• ii. The book was published in July 2014 by Sichuan University’s South Asia Study Centre.
• iii. The book is a biography based on the life and economic vision of Narendra Modi.

17th June 2015 - Daily GK Update

1. Indian Railways names Haridwar Mail as Yoga Express

• i. Indian Railways has named Haridwar Mail as Yoga Express with an immediate effect.
• ii. In this regard the train No 19031/19032 Ahmedabad-Haridwar-Ahmedabad famously known as Haridwar Mail has been christened as Yoga Express.
• iii. This decision was taken by Indian Railways before celebration of first ‘International Yoga Day’ on 21st June which will be observed as global event.

2. LIC Nomura Mutual Fund CEO Nilesh Sathe appointed member, life at IRDAI

• i. The government has appointed Nilesh Sathe, Chief Executive Officer of LIC Nomura Mutual Fund Asset Management Company, as the member-life of insurance regulator IRDAI.
• ii. The post was lying vacant since the retirement of S Roy Chowdhury in February 2014. 
• iii. Sathe will be joining the Insurance Regulatory and Development Authority of India (IRDAI) on July 1 and have a four-year long tenure at the Hyderabad-headquartered insurance sector watchdog.
• iv. Sathe held various positions in LIC, which include Executive Director (marketing) and Senior Divisional Manager in Mumbai.

3. UN elected Denmark's Mogens Lykketoft to head General Assembly

• i. The United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) on 15 June 2015 elected Denmark's Mogens Lykketoft as its President for its upcoming 70th session in September 2015. 
• ii. He will have tenure of one year and succeeds Uganda's Sam Kutesa to preside over the 193-member body.
• iii. Lykketoft presently is the speaker of Danish Parliament since 2011 and is a member of the Social Democrats party.
• iv. Earlier from 1993 to 2001, Lykketoft served Denmark as its Foreign and Finance Ministers.

4. PM Narendra Modi launched book titled Education of Muslims by Professor JS Rajput

• i. Prime Minister Narendra Modi on 15 June 2015 launched a book titled Education of Muslims: An Islamic Perspective of Knowledge and Education – Indian Context edited by Professor JS Rajput.
• ii. The book is aimed at informing and educating policy-makers, scholars and readers about role of Islam in pursuit of education and knowledge.
• iii. The book contains 16 articles written by various scholars and historians including JS Rajput on wide ranging issues related to understanding of Islam religion, role of Islam and its educational institutions (madrasas) in dissemination of knowledge and educational status of Muslim children in India among others.
• iv. JS Rajput is an accomplished educationist and historian. He is a former director of National Council of Educational Research and Training (NCERT) and Chairman, National Council for Teacher Education (NCTE).

5. Union Government launched Augmented Reality Application named Sakaar

• i. The Union Minister of State (Independent Charge) Development of North-Eastern Region (DoNER) Jitendra Singh on 15 June 2015 launched an Augmented Reality (AR) application named Sakaar to highlight the achievements of the Department of Space.
• ii. The application has been developed by Development and Educational Communication Unit (DECU) of ISRO for Android devices. 
• iii. Sakaar consists of 3D models of MOM, RISAT, rockets (PSLV, GSLV Mk-III); videos of INSAT 3D-predicting cyclones, GSLV D5/Cryo, Mars Orbiter Mission (MOM) orbit insertion, launch video of MOM, 360 degree animated view of MOM; Anaglyph of Mars surface.
• iv. Augmentation is in real time and the information is overlaid on the live view of the device’s camera.  Essentially, AR requires three elements: 

Android device with back camera
AR application
AR Markers.

6. Sunil Chhetri becomes first Indian to score 50 international goals

• i. Prolific striker Sunil Chhetri on Tuesday became the first Indian footballer to score 50 international goals during his team's 2018 World Cup qualifying match against Guam.
• ii. Chhetri's feat, though, came in a losing cause, as India suffered their second successive defeat in the preliminary joint qualification second round.
• iii. Former captain Bhaichung Bhutia stays at the second spot with 42 goals in 107 matches while IM Vijayan has 40 goals from 79 games. This meanwhile, was Chhetri's 87th match.
• iv. For the record, it was Chhetri who scored India's all the goals in the team's four joint preliminary round 2018 World Cup qualifying games so far.

16th June 2015 - Daily GK update

16th June 2015 - Daily GK update

1. Nasscom signs MoU with IESA

• i)The National Association of Software and Services Companies (Nasscom) on Monday signed an MoU with India Electronics and Semiconductor Association (IESA) to speed up 'Make in India' and 'Digital India' agenda for electronic system design and manufacturing (ESDM) and IT.
• ii)The aim is to create a common agenda that will guide the Government and industry to construct policies and an environment leading to the creation of ESDM and IT products, solutions and brands out of India.
• Vinay Shenoy, Chairman, IESA, said: "By joining forces, we are now better able to address 'Device-Infrastructure-Application' and the interplay between them. Initial focus areas are likely to be policy frameworks, enabling capability build-up, knowledge sharing, eco-system discovery and promotion.''
• Under the MoU, both industry associations will bring key stakeholders and partners from industry, Government, academia and investment community closer and identify key areas of investment.

2. Wholesale price inflation dips in May

• i)Wholesale inflation at (-)2.36 per cent in May as against (-)2.65 per cent in April.
• Inflation remained in negative territory for the seventh month in May, registering a decline of 2.36 per cent on account of subdued prices of food items, fuel and manufactured goods.The Wholesale Price Index (WPI) based inflation was (—) 2.65 per cent in April.
• It has been in the negative zone since November 2014. Inflation in last May was 6.18 per cent.
• ii)The lower inflation comes amid a forecast of deficient monsoon this year. In contrast to IMD’s forecast of 12 per cent deficient rainfall, the onset of monsoon has been reasonably strong so far.
• Citigroup said that overall the monsoon is still a risk factor but “we expect CPI (retail inflation) to undershoot RBI’s Jan-16 projection by 40bps and average 5 per cent in 2015-16. This is likely to create room for further 25 bps cut in current fiscal“.
• iii)The CPI inflation had inched up marginally in May to over 5 per cent from 4.87 per cent in the previous month.

3. Sheila Kaul, former Governor of Himachal Pradesh, died

• i) Former Governor of Himachal Pradesh, ex-Union Minister and Congress leader Sheila Kaul died after a brief illness on 14 June 2015. She was 100.
• She is now survived by sons Gautam Kaul, a retired IPS officer, and Vikram Kaul, an international sports administrator, besides daughter Deepa Kaul, a former Information Minister in UP.
• ii) She was married to renowned botanist Kailash Nath Kaul, who established the National Botanical Research Institute in Lucknow. Kaul, sister-in-law of Jawaharlal Nehru, was oldest surviving former Parliamentarian.
• iii) She was elected as a Member of Parliament (MP) for five times in 1971, 1980 and 1984 (from Lucknow) and in 1989, 1991 (from Rae Bareli).

4. BSNL launched free roaming today

• i)State-run BSNL will launch free roaming, starting today, which will allow all its mobile customers across the country to receive incoming calls at no cost.
• “Now BSNL mobile customers will not need to carry multiple SIMs and handsets during roaming. ii)They are free to talk as long as they want without worrying of any charges during incoming calls.
• “In fact, it is like a dream of ‘One Nation One Number’ coming true,” BSNL CMD Anupam Shrivastava said in a statement. One June 2, Telecom Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad had announced that the telco would be launching free roaming scheme from June 15.
• iii)The company also clarified that it has not received any communication from sectoral regulator TRAI regarding the roaming scheme.
• “We have not received any such communication from TRAI.BSNL has announced this scheme with the consent of Minister of Communications & IT, Ravi Shankar Prasad who himself had announced it in a press conference held on June 2. TRAI has no objection to it,” Shrivastava said

5. FDI in services sector up 46% in 2014-15

• i)With the government taking steps to improve ease of doing business and attracting investments, FDI inflows into the services sector grew by over 46% to $3.25 billion in 2014-15.
• ii)The services sector, which includes banking, insurance, outsourcing, R&D, courier and technology testing, had received foreign direct investment (FDI) worth $2.22 billion in 2013-14.
• However, the total foreign inflow in 2014-15 in the services sector was low as compared to 2012-13 when it was $4.83 billion, according to the Department of Industrial Policy and Promotion (DIPP) data.
• iii)The government has announced a series of steps such as fixing timeliness for approvals to improve the ease of doing business in the country and attracting domestic as well as foreign investments.
• In step with the growth in FDI in important sectors like services, overall foreign inflows in the country too rose by 27% to $30.93 billion during the previous fiscal. The amount was $24.29 billion in 2013-14.

6. Ameising Luikham takes over as New Secretary, Department of Public Enterprises

• i)Shri Ameising Luikham, IAS (MN:1981) today took over as Secretary, Department of Public Enterprises in the M/o Heavy Industries & Public Enterprises . Prior to this he was working as Secretary, North Eastern Council, Ministry of Development of North Eastern Region.
• ii)Shri Luikham's appointment is vice Shri Kapil Dev Tripathi, IAS (AM:1980) who already have been appointed as Secretary, Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Gas.

7. Department of Atomic Energy (DAE) launched India Nuclear Insurance Pool (INIP)

• i)The Department of Atomic Energy (DAE) on 12 June 2015 launched the India Nuclear Insurance Pool (INIP).The INIP has become the 27th such insurance pool in the world as countries such as France, Russia, South Africa and the U.S. have put in place such similar risk transfer mechanisms.Features of India Nuclear Insurance Pool (INIP)
• ii)It will cover the risks of liability of nuclear operators and suppliers under Section 6(2) and Section 17 of the Civil Liability for Nuclear Damages (CLND) Act, 2010 respectively.
• It provides three types of policies viz., tier 1 policy for operators, tier 2 policy for turn key suppliers and tier 3 policy for suppliers other than turn key supply

8. Union Government launched website to connect employers, job seekers

• i)Union Minister for Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises Kalraj Mishra on 15 June 2015 launched a digital Employment Exchange for Industries (EEX) portal eex.dcmsme.gov.in which will connect employers and job seekers.
• ii)The portal will help in linking Make in India initiative with Skilled India one.The employers and job seekers can now register at www.eex.dcmsme.gov.in. Nearly, two lakh job seekers have already registered themselves with the EEX.
• iii)There are large units in the country which are dependent on MSMEs, but the absence of skilled manpower results in non-competitiveness of MSMEs and Indian industry as a whole.
• Until and unless, the skilled hands do not find the appropriate jobs and the appropriate employer, it
• will lead to frustration and skepticism to the entire skilling program of this country.
• Therefore, it is utmost important that these skilled hands get a platform where they can find livelihoods for themselves.  This online portal will enable industrial units in finding suitable manpower and will help job seekers in finding suitable jobs.